Marine State Park Closures

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

FYI, projected state budget deficits may close three dozen Washington State Parks, including several waterfront parks in the Puget Sound area. On the it list are Jarrell's Cove (Hartstene Island), Fort Flagler and Mystery Bay (right here on Marrowstone Island), and several other marine state parks.

Jarrell's Cove has always been one of our favorites, and with closure of Fort Flagler and Mystery Bay, we'd lose all three Marrowstone Island launch ramps...and have to drive into Port Townsend to launch.

With the state projecting an $8 billion shortfall, a lot of cutting obviously has to be done. It's just a shame to lose state parks!

- Marty

[trsexton]

State to Give Away $35,000,000
The Figure Could Go Much Higher
Gig Harbor, Washington – March 9, 2009
– Preserve Our Parks (POP) today announced that the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is poised to give away $35 million of public property. Kopachuck State Park, alone, with more than a mile of low bank waterfront and as much as 100 acres of upland view property would fetch approximately $35 million on the open market. The Parks and Recreation Commission proposes to divest itself of Kopachuck and transfer or mothball at least twelve more state parks and up to forty parks in all throughout the state.
"At a time when our state legislature is attempting to fill an $8 billion budget hole, our Parks and Recreation Commission is being penny wise and pound foolish," said Linda Gough, Chair of POP. "To save the relatively low salaries of park rangers and other parks’ workers, our Commission contemplates giving away scores of millions of our dollars," she added.
Senator Derek Kilmer and Representative Larry Seaquist will hold town hall meetings this Saturday, March 14, 2009, as follows:
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9-10:30 a.m. at the Norm Dicks Government Center, located at 345 6th St. in Bremerton
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11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Givens Community Center, located at 1026 Sidney Ave in Port Orchard
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2-3:30 p.m. at the Key Peninsula Civic Center, located at 17010 South Vaughn Road
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4-5:30 p.m. at Gig Harbor High School, located at 5101 Rosedale St NW in Gig Harbor
Everyone should plan to attend at least one of these sessions to let our representatives know our concerns in closing our parks.

[FINS]

If they are giving it way, I am sure that the NW Classic Boat Club would take it. That would make the best "He-man-woman-haters" club house around! We could even team up with the ACBS, CYA, and any other classic boat club. What a great place to hang out on wekends, with others covered in varnish, paint, and fiberglass dust! Just let me know where to sign the petition to make this happen